Your piece on the apparent shift in Indonesian government policy on East Timor
("Indonesia Says It's Ready to Give Independence to East Timorese") overlooks
the current situation on the ground in the illegally-occupied territory. In expressing
skepticism over statements made by Habibie regime officials, resistance spokesperson Jose
Ramos Horta cited "the reality in East Timor, where people are being slaughtered,
where women are still raped, torture is rampant, [and] there are more than 20,000
troops."

A member of the Indonesian government's National Commission on Human Rights confirmed
that the Indonesian military is arming militias which have been terrorizing East Timorese
civilians. Four civilians have been killed in the past week alone, according to the East
Timor Human Rights Center. UN monitors should be immediately sent to East Timor to prevent
further atrocities.

Further, it is disingenuous for Foreign Minister Ali Alatas to suggest that the
Indonesian parliament, still stacked with Suharto cronies and military officers, may
consider granting East Timor independence. This is the same body that voted for the
"incorporation" of East Timor, an act which has never been recognized under
international law. It is up to the East Timorese people to decide their political future
through a UN-supervised referendum.